Five days separate the Chicago Bears and their debut back in the 1st round of the NFL draft since 2018. It could be the most important day in the career of GM Ryan Pace. Though he managed to survive the ax this time, it’s generally believed he’s under a lot of pressure this year. George McCaskey and ownership expect more out of this team than back-to-back 8-8 finishes. They want to win.
Well, as anybody who watches the NFL these days can attest, to win in this league you need a quarterback. The days of getting by with great defense and a running game are long gone. This is why the Bears have just two playoff appearances in the past decade. Getting to the postseason is hard enough. Winning there without a viable signal-caller is incredibly difficult. Are the Bears really going to try selling their 2021 season on Andy Dalton being their guy?
Most people aren’t buying that.
This is why speculation is widespread that Pace and head coach Matt Nagy plan to grab a quarterback early in this draft. It’s a matter of when. Will it be the 1st round? Not if they stay at #20. Most experts agree the five QBs with 1st round grades will be gone within the first 10-12 picks. That means if Chicago wants one of them, they’ll have to move up. Where though? Denver Broncos insider Benjamin Allbright seems pretty confident that the #9 pick could be in play come Thursday night.
I think there's a certain scenario where they try to get to 9. https://t.co/Zfe3OoK18D
— Benjamin Allbright (@AllbrightNFL) April 24, 2021
Subscribe to the BFR Youtube channel and ride shotgun with Dave and Ficky as they break down Bears football like nobody else.
Allbright has strong connections in the industry. He doesn’t say stuff like this unless he’s certain of it. This would seem to fall in line with what SM and others have heard. If the Bears are planning a move, it will be into the bottom of the top 10. It’s high enough to where they still have a shot at a top quarterback but low enough to where they won’t have to give up multiple future 1st round picks to make it happen.
Chicago Bears have multiple connections in Denver too
Their new GM George Paton was a longtime member of the Minnesota Vikings. He was also a scout in the Bears organization back in the 1990s. So he knows the organization and they know him. Vic Fangio is also their head coach in Denver. He of course was the Bears’ defensive coordinator from 2015 to 2018. So communication shouldn’t be too difficult between the two teams.
Paton also comes from the school of moving down early in drafts. Something he learned over several years in Minnesota under Rick Spielman. He’ll want to stockpile picks. As to what it might cost. It’s a safe bet the Chicago Bears will need to involve their 1st round pick in 2022. After that? Smart money says one of their Day 2 picks and #20 will complete the deal. Perhaps with a Broncos mid rounder in return.
It’s expensive, but without a quarterback, none of it matters.
Russell Wilson isn’t walking through the door to save them. Pace and Nagy can’t afford to wait. Not with their jobs in jeopardy. They need to make a splash. Give fans hope that they have the franchise pointed in the right direction. Making a bold jump to #9 for a quarterback would certainly qualify. Whether one of the guys they covet reaches that spot? That is another problem to worry about.
